Parenting Perspective 

When peers threaten to spread lies to coerce your child, this is an act of coercion by slander. Tell your child plainly what this is and separate their identity from intimidation: ‘You are not the problem. The threat is the problem.’ Naming the behaviour lowers the panic and helps to restore their agency. 

Setting the Safety-First Plan 

Decide together that there will be no bargaining with threats. Teach a steady, pre-prepared script for the next approach: ‘I will not agree to this. If you spread lies, I will report it.’ 

Practise their tone (neutral), posture (calm), and a short exit line. If there is any risk of confrontation, they must only meet in supervised public spaces or avoid meetings altogether. 

Reducing Their Leverage 

You must move quickly to limit the damage any lie can do. 

• Pre-emptive Truth: Immediately brief about a trusted adult, such as a teacher or counsellor. The statement should be simple: ‘I am being threatened that lies will be spread because I refused to comply with X.’ 

• Allies: Identify two peers who know your child’s character well and can calmly counter rumours if they start. 

• Documentation: Save all evidence—screenshots, dates, and names of witnesses. Keeping a simple log turn ‘he said, she said’ into verifiable facts. 

Guarding the Digital Doors 

Tighten privacy settings immediately. They must leave toxic group chats, mute to the instigators, and archive all messages. Never reply in anger; angry replies become the next set of manipulative screenshots. If fake accounts or defamation appear, report them through the school and the platform tools on the same day. Where the school has an anti-bullying or academic honesty policy, ask for the written steps and timelines so your child is not carrying this alone. 

Rebuilding Dignity and Routine 

Threats are emotionally draining. Protect your child’s key routines: sleep, Salah, meals, and movement. Ensure they have joyful pockets in the week so their identity is not defined by the crisis. Coach a brief social response they can repeat in hallways: ‘That is untrue. I have reported it.’ Then, they must walk away. Encourage service projects or study circles that reinforce belonging through goodness, not fear. 

Partnering with the School Wisely 

Ask the school for discreet monitoring, staff presence near social flashpoints, and a plan for restorative conversations if appropriate. Emphasise culture change: ask the school to address respect and digital conduct with the whole cohort, so your child is not unnecessarily spotlighted. If the escalation continues, request a formal investigation and involve parents or safeguarding leads. 

Spiritual Insight 

Islam treats slander as a grave transgression. Manipulating someone with the threat of spreading lies is a severe betrayal that harms the individual and corrupts the community. Teach your child that Allah Almighty is the Witness who honours the truth, protects the vulnerable, and commands believers to seek justice. The believer’s path is to refuse coercion and use just processes when trust is violated. 

The Noble Quran 

Allah Almighty states in the noble Quran at Surah Al Noor (24), Verses 16: 

‘And why was it not the case that when you heard (such accusations), you should have said: “It is not appropriate to discuss such a matter, glory is for You (O Allah Almighty), this is indeed, an extremely slanderous accusation”.’ 

This verse teaches three crucial moves when faced with slander: stop the tongue (‘not for us to speak of this’), glorify Allah Almighty to steady the heart (‘Glory be to You’), and name the act without flinching (‘heinous slander’). When a group threatens to invent stories, your child’s task is not to debate rumours but to refuse participation, keep their own speech clean, and take the matter to a just process. The ayah validates firmness without cruelty and shows that resisting slander is an act of worship that protects the dignity of all. 

The Words of the Holy Prophet ﷺ 

It is recorded in Jami Tirmidhi, Hadith 1931, that the holy Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said: 

‘Whoever protects his brother’s honour, Allah protects his face from the Fire on the Day of Resurrection.’ 

This hadith turns bystanders into guardians. Teach your child and their sincere friends that real loyalty is to defend the truth, not to amplify threats. When a lie is dangled to force compliance, ‘protecting honour’ looks like calmly correcting the falsehood, declining to forward malicious messages, and standing with the targeted peer in public spaces. Explain that Allah Almighty Himself promises protection for those who shield another’s reputation. This transforms the social script: instead of feeling alone against a crowd, your child can recruit principled allies who choose reward over gossip. Together, they practise the Prophetic ethic of speech that heals rather than harms. 

When you anchor your child in this Quranic restraint and Prophetic courage, the power of intimidation shrinks. They learn that refusal, documentation, and due process are not weakness; they are the path of justice. Most of all, they discover that the smile of Allah Almighty is worth more than the approval of any group, and that protecting someone’s honour is one of the most luminous forms of friendship.